NBC extends Matt Lauer's 'Today' contract despite ratings falloff

In this Friday, March 29, 2013, file photo, Matt Lauer, co-host of the NBC "Today" television program, appears during a segment of the show in New York's Rockefeller Center.

In this Friday, March 29, 2013, file photo, Matt Lauer, co-host of the NBC "Today" television program, appears during a segment of the show in New York's Rockefeller Center. (Richard Drew / Associated Press)

Where in the world is Matt Lauer? Staying at NBC's 'Today' with a new contract

Where in the world is Matt Lauer? He's staying at NBC, that's where.

Despite losing its status as the No. 1 morning show to ABC's"Good Morning America," NBC's "Today" has tapped Lauer to remain as cohost for at least two more years, according to a new report.

"I couldn't be happier to be staying," Lauer wrote in a statement quoted by the New York Times.

"He's the best in the business, and there is nobody I would rather have in the 'Today' anchor chair than Matt," NBC News president Deborah Turness said.

During the 1990s, Lauer and then-coanchor Katie Couric became America's favorite morning hosts. But his reputation took a huge hit in 2012, when cohost Ann Curry was forced off the program and gave viewers a tearful farewell as Lauer sat by, watching in a way that struck some as unsympathetic. Reports had blamed him for engineering her ouster -- an interpretation he disputed without offering a detailed counter-story.

Photos

Celebrity photos taken by Los Angeles Times photographers.

Lauer's existing contract, which was due to expire soon, paid him up to $25 million per year, according to various reports, which the anchor himself said were inaccurate.

Meanwhile, "Today," once the commanding leader in morning news, lost its lead to "GMA" two years ago and has since struggled to come back.